"Well, of course I stand by my decision dear. Why would I have made it otherwise? Je ne regrette rien. I firmly believe that by raising the age requirement of the Trainer Licensing Test from 10 to 16, we will be giving our future trainers, coordinators, and breeders an extraordinarily higher chance of survival out there in the wild, and it will undoubtedly cut down on trainer-on-trainer crime rate by reducing the age gap and cutting out an unfortunately inexperienced and naïve group. Look at Unova, for example, they have a greatly advanced training climate, and they are unable to get their license until the age of 15! C'est la vérité! So what could possibly be the downside?"

- Kalos Region Champion Diantha, in response to an interviewer who asked about her change of the classic pokémon licensing age. May 28, 1987

When the day came for his trainer's license test, Isaac Lavoie was more than ready.

He woke up wrapped in his favorite green blanket, with Mars, the family growlithe, snuggled close beside him like a little personal heater. When he looked over to his alarm clock in the early morning light, he saw it was 5:55. Two hours until his trainer's test. Two hours until he started what he hoped would be the greatest day yet in his short, 16 year old life.

He got up, carefully avoiding Mars so as not to disturb him, and made his way to the bathroom to get ready. After a quick shower, he threw on a practical pair of jeans, a gray button down shirt, and his nicest pair of black gym shoes. He wanted to impress to proctors and Kalosian Breeders Council, but he also wasn't about to sacrifice comfort when he had to go out on a route, even a route as short and mild as Route 1.

Now came the ugly part. He crept carefully back to his room and peeked in to see if by some miracle Mars had woken up on his own yet. Of course, no such luck. But Isaac had places to be today, and couldn't afford to accommodate a lazy pet now of all times. He quickly strode over to the bed and promptly picked the pokémon up and plopped him down on the ground. His response was a growl and a half-hearted ember attack that sent Isaac stumbling backwards towards his window, quietly cursing.

"Arceus damn you, Mars! How many times do I have to tell you? You do not ember people just because you're grumpy!" To which, of course, he gave a derisive snort. Arceus, he was spoiled. But Isaac didn't have time for this, and had already lost a precious few minutes from Mars' little temper tantrum. The walk to Aquacorde was nearly an hour, and he couldn't afford to be late. Unfortunately, he also needed Mars to come with him, just to be safe.

So, Isaac decided to compromise, and quietly made his way down the stairs, towards the kitchen. He grabbed an apple for himself, and began searching for the pet treats. When at last he emerged from the pantry victorious, he dashed back up to his room, only to find that the persistent little growlithe had gone back to sleep. Of course, that all changed when Isaac gave the slightest shake of the treat box. Mars' head snapped up immediately in rapt attention, and he proceeded to dive straight at Isaac in an attempt to steal the entire box away.

"Yeah, I bet you would eat the whole box, like the fat little sausage you are!" Isaac murmured, chuckling, as the rejuvenated pokémon sat on his chest happily chewing on a treat.

"Shouldn't you be on your way by now, young man?" Isaac whipped his head around to see his mother and father standing in the hall behind him. He twisted his torso so that he could catch a glimpse of his alarm clock in his room-

7:05.

Shit.

Isaac jumped to his feet, panicked. How had he let over an hour get away from him? He rushed back into his room, grabbed his backpack, and randomly threw in a jacket, a potion, and some crumpled dollar bills. He then hurriedly gave his father a hug and gave his mother a kiss on the cheek before she pulled him in for a hug.

"Good luck Isaac, I know you'll do great," she whispered before letting him go.

"Now get going! You're going to be late if you don't hurry!" And like that, he bolted out the door, Mars close at his heels. He passed a few other late-risers in the streets, but he assumed most of his small school was already making the trek to Aquacorde. He quickly made it to the Vaniville gates, and with a push, opened them up and dashed onto the cobblestone path of Route 1.

He was on his way.

Hey, so hopefully this will be the first and last author's note for this story- so here it is!

Now I realize that this chapter is short and probably fairly dull, but don't worry, it'll pick up soon enough, although chapter length may vary. In any case, the fact is this story will be long, it'll be strange, and it'll have a lot of evidence of my own original take of the pokémon world! So I hope you enjoy!